demon

noun

de·​mon ˈdē-mən How to pronounce demon (audio)
variants or daemon
plural demons or daemons
1
a
: an evil spirit
angels and demons
b
: a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin
the demons of drug and alcohol addiction
confronting the demons of his childhood
2
usually daemon : an attendant (see attendant entry 2 sense 1) power or spirit : genius
3
usually daemon mythology : a supernatural being whose nature is intermediate between that of a god and that of a human being
4
: one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness
a demon for work
Doug, putting like a demon, had birdies on the third and sixth …Fred Tupper
5
daemon : a software program or process that runs in the background
A mailer daemon installed on an e-mail system can respond to a piece of incorrectly addressed e-mail by generating an automated message to the sender that the message was undeliverable.J. D. Biersdorfer
demonian adjective

Examples of demon in a Sentence

only in rare cases is the ancient rite of exorcism performed to cast out a troublesome demon a man who was finally able to conquer his demons and kick his drug habit
Recent Examples on the Web This pilgrimage is modeled after the original to encourage worshippers to confront their internal demons. Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 That last aspect shouldn’t surprise anyone who saw Glass’s debut feature film, Saint Maud, which plunged the viewer into the mind of a home nurse plagued by biblical visions of angels and demons. David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 Prior to starring in the new horror flick Imaginary, the Massachusetts native played Predator in the thriller Prey, the demon Ba’al in an episode of American Horror Stories as well as a character called Muscle Monster on the Netflix series Sweet Home. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 But an emerging horror genre sharpens the same technologies into instruments of exploitation, turning clinics into torture chambers and doctors into demons. Amanda Hess, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 From an early sprained ankle, a minor hip contusion and the hamstring injury that robbed him of any explosion for almost two months, Ellis has battled injury demons while USC (12-17, 6-12 Pac-12) has fallen well short of lofty preseason expectations. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Key difference: Jury will not see son's texts about demons Thursday started on a positive note for James Crumbley, who got some good news from the judge. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 Spider-Man 3 In the final installment of the Maguire trilogy, out in 2007, Spider-Man faces two villains — Sandman and Venom — while also fighting his inner demons as his suit turns black, bringing out the worst parts of his personality. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The host selects a few schemes for discussion, assigning one group (the angels) to defend the company against the scheme and another (the demons) to strategize on circumventing controls. Jonny Frank, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "evil spirit," borrowed from Late Latin daemōn "evil spirit, pagan deity, idol," going back to Latin, "supernatural being, spirit intermediate between humans and gods," borrowed from Greek daimon-, daímōn "superhuman power, variably evil or beneficent, intervening in human affairs, fate" (Homeric), "personal spirit, bringing luck or ill, that accompanies an individual," "spirit intermediate between humans and gods" (Plato), "evil spirit" (New Testament), probably from dai-, stem of daíomai, daíesthai "to divide, allocate" + -mōn, deverbal noun and adjective suffix — more at tide entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of demon was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near demon

Cite this Entry

“Demon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demon. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

demon

noun
de·​mon
variants or daemon
1
: an evil spirit
2
usually daemon : an accompanying power or spirit : genius
3
usually daemon : demigod sense 1
4
: one that has a lot of energy
a demon for work
demonic
di-ˈmän-ik
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on demon

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